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tv   BBC World News  PBS  March 7, 2011 5:30pm-6:00pm PST

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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> a fierce assault on rebel forces in libya as colonel gaddafi's troupe right to -- try to roll back the advance. >> one landed just there. the plane is coming around again, so we have to move over here away from the crossways which will be its objectives. >> president obama is to reintroduce trials at guantanamo bay, despite promises to close it down. the former president of france, jacques chirac, goes on trial accused of abuse of power. welcome to "bbc world news" broadcast on pbs in america and around the globe. find out what made these ukrainian parliamentarians so angry. we have a special report.
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and a rare insight into the lives of maoist rebels in india. our reporter spent more than a month following them through the jungle. >> libyan government planes have again launched multiple air strikes on rebel fighters. this is the second day of a concerted counter-offensive by colonel gaddafi's forces to stop rebels from moving to tripoli. rebel fighters pushed back from this key coastal town of -- a key coastal town. the libyan forces used tanks and artillery. our world affairs editors sent this report. >> at dawn this morning, it was a media elite clear that the
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rebels enthusiasm and fighting spirit was fading. it has carried them 150 miles westward along the coast, beating colonel gaddafi's troops back. but other supply lines are stretched and gaddafi's troops are fighting a more friendly territory. we went with the rebels to the next town, which they attacked fiercely. but the offender's head -- the defenders had better weapons. when we went there, we found the rebels had faded away during the night. from a distance collies i checkpoint which we eventually decided was probably manned by gaddafi loyalists. it was. a couple of soldiers opened fire in our direction. >> keep your head down. >> we drove back hastily down the road to the important oil town captured by the rebels on
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friday night. today, far fewer of them were making a stand here. the rebels are being forced all the way back to ras lanuf. it has been quite a success for colonel gaddafi's army. the rebel gunners blaze away. a russian built plane from the air force circle around and came in for the attack. a bomb landed away from the rebel positions. whether the pirate -- whether the pilot must on purpose was not clear. we did not wait to find out. the bomb landed just there. the plane is coming around again, so we have to move over here away from the crossways which will be its objective. we better take cover here, i think. the rebels only answer to the air power is the high morale. that took a beating today.
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soon, they were reinforcing this place again, bringing up new defenders along the road. catching the road is a priority for pro-gaddafi forces. one bomb destroyed the car of the family escaping. a couple and their two small children were killed. >> for person dead. why? why? nobody speak to gaddafi. stop killing. why like this? >> of the road is the rebels greatest ally. so far, it remains essentially untouched. while it does, the rebels can keep on fighting. >> as the crisis teeters on the edge of the civil war, world powers are struggling to define
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when, how, if they should intervene. the foreign minister of libya already sees a foreign conspiracy. he told a news conference in tripoli today that the west is trying to split his country. the english are learning -- that english are yearning for the colonial era of the past. but gulf states backed the idea of a no-flight zone over libya. nato officials are engaged in what they call prudent planning. britain is working on a un resolution with its partners on the security council. president obama said today military options are still on the table. there are signs the u.s. might go along with a resolution if there is a consensus. we are seeing how people feel about foreign intervention. >> all over benghazi, there are posters say no foreign intervention is needed to help the people rid themselves of colonel gaddafi. if there clear about that.
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after several days of attacking protestors strongholds, several towns in the west, the town of ras lanuf, the rebels thought they had captured that themselves, only now are they beginning to change their mind. would you accept foreign help now? >> yes. the no-fly zone would be very welcome. the surgical bombings -- where he has his supporters. some other bases where he has his troops, we do not mind surgical bombing there. we did not mind a no-fly zone over libya because he is using his aircraft to kill people. they have no cover for that. we can match them on the ground,
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but in the skies, we have no power. we would welcome very much a no flying zone over libya. but no foreign troops on the ground. a no-fly zone would be enough. >> that is the opinion shared by many u.s. care. why hasn't the no-fly zone taken place already. absolutely no to the foreign troops here on the ground. >> for all of the latest on the situation, you can go to our web site. you can navigate our interactive map and learn about key locations and the structure in libya and see the latest from correspondents across the region. in a policy u-turn, president obama has issued a u-turn which means detainee's can be held at guantanamo bay prison. in washington now is steve
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kingston. this is a huge u-turn. >> you would recall that barack obama won the presidency trying to distinguish himself from george w. bush. one of the ways he did this was on the question of guantanamo bay. he had regarded this as a shadowy, secretive form of justice. he promised on day two of his presidency to close guantanamo bay by january of last year. he pledged to bring al qaeda suspects, including the alleged mastermind of 9-eleven to civilian courts on the american mainland. the reality now is that policy is in tatters. congress voted place -- congress voted late last year to ban transferring prisoners to the u.s. mainland. this is the long-awaited response to that vote by president obama.
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reluctantly, the military tribunals will have to resume. >> so a lot of supporters say you let us down and critics will say we told you so. is there any response to this? >> there are groups on the left that say he may have inherited guantanamo bay but it will now be part of his legacy. they see a president trying to knock this down the field for a successor to deal with this subsequently. he insists that he will appeal against an tried to overrule the vote by congress, which he thought set a dangerous precedent. congress same when president -- when prisoners could and could not be transferred. but it is very unlikely at this stage that he will make headway on that score and he will succeed in delivering his pledge on closing guantanamo bay this side of seeking reelection in the second half of next year. >> thank you very much.
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the u.s. defense secretary, robert gates says the u.s. is well positioned now to start a limited withdrawal of troops from afghanistan in july. he also apologized for the accidental killing of nine boys by nato-led forces. he called it a tragedy and a setback in the relationship with the afghan people. a newly-appointed interim government in tunisia has dissolved the secret police, a key demand for protesters. the state apparatus was blamed for many human-rights abuses. britain boss archbishop of canterbury has issued a rebuke to the government of pakistan over the murder of its minister of foreign [inaudible] he accused the pakistan government of being coerced and menaced into silence. former french president, jacques chirac, has gone on corruption
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-- has gone on trial -- has gone on trial for corruption charges. the case was adjourned until tuesday. the judge will rule on whether it should be referred to a higher court. from paris, we have this report. >> and they called him the untouchable. for years, jacques chirac escaped prosecution protected by a cloak of presidential immunity. but no longer can the 78-cheryl hide behind privilege of office. there is the rich media interest, so much in the allegations, but the trial symbolizes. he is the first head of state to go on trial in france since martial back and was tried for treason. the cases being heard in the same room maria antoinette was tried in during the french revolution. >> more than 70% of the french want to see this happen. it should not be a masquerade. >> the allegation is that while
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mayor of paris, he masterminded a scheme in which friends and allies who worked for his party were on the city hall payroll. it received salaries for jobs that never existed. it claims the money was directed toward his drive for power in the 1990's. in truth, the first day of this trial was par more tedious than headlines suggest. lawyers representing one of his nine co-defendants argued it should belong to be heard of since it dates to far back in time. a ruling is expected tomorrow. >> the french president has always said he wants to explain himself. >> it is a debatable on whether there is appetite to putting an aging ex-president on the stand. there is some nostalgia within the country for his years in office. he's far more popular now than when he left an apartment -- and
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far more popular than the current president, nikolas sarkozy. two facts that are not entirely unconnected. there is also concern here over the ex-president's state of health. his family had denied media speculation he is suffering from alzheimer's. the 78-year-old is certainly a little shaky on his feet, which is why camera crews will be kept away from his access to the courtroom tomorrow. they have also afforded him a comfortable armchair from which to give his answers and a private room in which to recuperate. in the end, the cases adjourned early today with news the former president will now appear on wednesday pending the court's decision. the former prime minister was convicted on similar allegations and later disqualified from holding public office for one year. last week, he was appointed the new foreign secretary, fully rehabilitated.
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even if convicted, there are few who expect the former president to face anything more serious than a fine and the public embarrassment in court. >> stay with us. much more to come, including this -- queen elizabeth's second son is under fire for his links to american finance year convected to sex offenses. but he has received the prime minister's backing. first, to germany, on the eve of international women's day. with a woman in the top political job, you'd think german when it would be well represented in the country's businesses. in fact, they are under- represented -- under- represented. >> there are working women in germany. they take care of the curtains and they run the country politically. but in business, there is a
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dearth. only 2% of senior executives are female. the other 98% inhabit the great male suit. one of the few women chief executives of a big company faced resistance when she had children. >> why have kids if you don't take care of them? that's the main question. we have this expression in germany -- raven mother. that is supposed to be a bad mother. women are given a lot of guilt if they continue working. >> attitudes, relations between the sexes are deeply ingrained in germany, just like everywhere else. the question is whether by changing the lock you change people's minds. there is a proposal to have a legal quota for the number of people on the board of companies. but companies are weary of compulsion.
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>> what we need now is that everyone feels the same and we need more women in responsible positions. we do not meet the obligation of the state. >> the signs are the female chief executive has listened to that voice and ruled against a court -- ruled against a quota. but the fight goes on. >> the latest headlines at this hour -- libyan jets are pounding rebel forces in the east, there is growing pressure for a un resolution for a no-flight zone in libya. if president obama is to reintroduce military trials at guantanamo bay despite his election promise to close down the detention center. there was more embarrassment for the british queen's second son, prince andrew today as -- in his role for trade envoy.
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the prime minister's office and to be questioning his future but then he received the full backing of 10 downing street. this is not the first time the prince has made the headlines for the wrong reasons. >> are you resigning? >> hardly the questions he's accustomed to it is out promoting british business. but the issue of whether the prince has become an embarrassment is one being weighed by government today. initially, downing street was a lukewarm. one more problem and he is out was the suggestion. for the moment, ministers are offering their support. >> he has done a good job. he is a volunteer. >> the prince has been a special envoy for trade for 10 years. he's the most effective in places like the gulf war is royal status open stores. supporters say he has been good for business.
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>> his contacts and ability to get little companies could introductions is very valuable. no one knows how to [inaudible] , but everybody has to prince andrew is. >> he has become a national embarrassment. when he goes on these trips, i'm not sure what he's helping us out or just helping himself. >> is this link to this man, jeffrey epstein, that has caused the problem. he's a convicted sex offender. prince andrew stayed with him in new york. a photograph emerge from 10 years ago in another of his homes with his arm around a 17- year-old girl described as a personal loesser. then there is his former wife, the duchess of york, was caught last year trying to sell access to enter. it now appears that the sex
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offender was helping to pay off some of the duchess'debts. buckingham palace says there has been no improprieties and the allegations are false. downing street finally came through for him -- he remains the u.k. special envoy for trade. >> it has been described as a bomb on a slow fuse. last april, ukrainian government allowed the black sea fleet to use a base amidst wild scenes that extended the lease until 2042 in exchange for cheap gas. we have gone to sample the atmosphere in the city one year on. >> of the russian navy is everywhere in this historic port. vast ships lay at anchor while small craft buzz across the bay.
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modern missile cruisers with space-age weapons systems klauer from the key. although the navy is russian, the city is in ukraine. in a violent session of parliament last year, russia's permission to use the poor was extended until 2042. even that deal raised strong passions. many ukrainians want to keep sebastopol and many russians want it back. overlooking the harbor, i met a retired captain. he once served the soviet union, but when it disintegrated, he joined the fledgling ukrainian navy. >> i can't imagine any mechanism which would let sebastopol become part of russia without blood being spilled. no one here thinks seriously about attacking russia, to give something away is impossible. the russians need to think about whether they really need a fleet here. >> sebastopol is -- was once the
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pride of the russian empire. the soviet government joined it to ukraine, and that is when the seeds of today's disputes or sound. >> the black sea fleet has been in sebastopol for more than 200 years. for many russians, it's unthinkable they should never leave. too much blood was spilled here in the crimean war and second world war. they simply cannot accept that sebastopol is now part of ukraine. already, the black sea fleet has had to withdraw from some of the facilities around the city. this once secret submarine base in in the sea cliffs is now a public museum. even the nuclear blast proof doors are on display. former russian naval officers say losing sebastopol would be the last straw. >> for russia, sevastopol is not just another port. it's a symbol of russia.
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sevastopol can be a city of two countries but it is unthinkable without russia. >> the date when the russian fleet might have to leave the city is now far enough away to avoid serious tensions. but the issues like a bomb on a slow fuse. at some point, it will need to be resolved. >> india's prime minister calls the maoist insurgency the biggest internal security threat facing the country. the death toll as high -- at least 10,000 deaths in the past five years. the mouse control bath -- a vast swath of land and are at the strongest in six states. this area, one-third of the 600 districts is often called the red corridor. the central government has employed thousands of paramilitary against them. the malice are largely invisible
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force, usually hidden in unforgiving jungle. one of our reporters spent 34 days living with them in their forest hideouts. >> the day after day, i walk through a jungle, i swampland infested with mosquitos, climbing a thick forest hills. the maoist fighters with me are used to this hostile environment. we have reached another camp. they are setting up a tent for us. prawns are fried for dinner. it is not a diet for the squeamish. while dinner cooks, they train. they are an ill-equipped army with no bullets to spare and in order to fire, they make a boom sound.
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the maoist commander tells me how they manage to keep the indian security forces at bay. he does not want to be identified. >> without the support of the local population, it is impossible to win any war against the state. we have got that support because of the violence committed by the indian forces against tribal people here. >> each day, local people come to the camp. they come for basic health like health-care which the state is not providing. the maoist have doctors and medicine. villagers seem happy to see them after indian paramilitary attacks. after losing land to multi natural -- multinational companies or [unintelligible] >> the malice are the same as us. government officials use to threaten us and extort money and
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take where goats and chickens. >> but they must keep moving. i have been walking with them for the last three weeks. every day, they changed their base and walk almost 15 to 20 kilometers everyday. however, some of them are enjoying this walk. i will have to walk with them, otherwise i will lose track with them. >> before we leave you, a reminder of our main story -- libyan rebel forces in ras lanuf have lost territory to those loyal to gaddafi. this is after sustained attacks by land and air. efforts to halt the fighting seemed to be taking shape. the gulf states are looking to
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air exclusion zone over libya. much more on our web site, we are twitter and facebook as well. >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around the reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global
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financial strength to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.
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